Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Plans December Return to Surrender

Dhaka. Former Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina, who is living in exile in India, has announced plans to return home in December and surrender to the court. Hasina, who has been sentenced to death, said she would voluntarily return to Bangladesh along with senior leaders of her party 'Awami League'.

In a telephone interview of about an hour with 'Reuters', 78-year-old Hasina admitted the risk of arrest or assassination upon her return. However, she is adamant about not backing down from her decision. She said, 'I can be arrested as soon as I return home, I can be assassinated. Still, I have to return. My party's leaders and workers are being severely oppressed. If I die, let it be on the soil of my own country, where my parents are buried and where their blood was shed.'

Sheikh Hasina went to India after losing power following the intensification of student-led protests in 2024. Having been Prime Minister for about 20 years in various terms, she is accused of giving fatal orders to suppress the movement. Last November, a Bangladesh war crimes court sentenced her to death in absentia. Hasina has denied all these charges.

Her potential return home is analyzed to further intensify Bangladesh's political polarization. On the other hand, some analysts have pointed out the possibility of improvement in India-Bangladesh relations, which had cooled after India granted asylum to Hasina. The Bangladesh government has repeatedly urged India to extradite Hasina. However, Hasina has clarified that she will return voluntarily before India sends her.

In her first detailed interview since going into exile, Hasina said she had not discussed her return home with any foreign government. This is the first time she has publicly announced a timeframe for her return and declared her intention to surrender to the court. Among the Awami League leaders preparing to return home with Hasina, former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has also been sentenced to death in absentia. However, the current status of other leaders could not be independently confirmed.

The interim government in Dhaka has not yet responded to Hasina's statement. India's Ministry of External Affairs has also declined to comment on this new statement. Earlier in April, India had stated that it was studying Bangladesh's extradition request and wished to maintain constructive relations with the new Bangladeshi government. Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh's founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, rose to national politics after her father and most of her family members were assassinated in a military coup.

Hasina, who led a campaign for the restoration of democracy in her early political life, is credited with significantly advancing Bangladesh's economy. However, she has also been accused of suppressing the opposition, controlling freedom of expression, and weakening democratic institutions during her long tenure. Hasina has consistently denied these allegations.